California’s Economic Crisis: Part 3 – The Idea Factory
Submitted by J Boogie [TLL] on Monday, 23 February 2009Comments
Welcome to the final installment of California Economic Crisis. In this third chapter, TLL explores ways that California could have avoided ending up so deep in the red. And there are a few ideas here that may or may not have been proposed, but without going through all the legwork, these ideas should be seriously considered (again, if need be) by the legislature in the coming years.What could have been done to solve this California calamity? As one of the biggest spenders in the union, new and novel ideas are going to be needed if California is to keep its up its spending spree. And guess who is much better at coming up with out-the-box ideas than the old fogeys up in Sactown? A new generation of upstarts, who are ready to take over the economic calamity that will affect them more than the legislators passing these budgets. Where to start…Let’s jump right into it!
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Let us begin with the most contentious of our ideas. Legalization of… wait for it (break out the bubbler now)…GASP! (or should I say toke) MARIJUANA!?! Yes. Mari-joo-wanna. Pot needs to be legalized and taxed, just like alcohol and tobacco. The sin tax raises a ton of money annually, and there is no legitimate reason why the devil’s favorite plant should be left out. The “war” on drugs has failed, mainly because it targets the wrong drugs. Billions are spent to battle the never-ending marijuana influence, yet no progress has been made (and none will ever be made, considering the plant has been smoked much longer than our government has been around). Instead, cannabis is becoming more legitimate around the world. The state of California stands to raise huge sums of tax revenue off of the legalization of cannabis. But of course, legislators and the federal government will never allow it. Why? Because it is a “DRUG”! Or is it? Just think of what you consider to be a drug. I’d bet that among all the nominees for the label “drug”, only one stands out as a naturally growing plant. So why is the plant demonized so? If you really want to know, then I trust you to do your homework on the issue. But here is a nice starting point for those who remain ignorant about the little green friend.
- Increase the alcohol and tobacco taxes. This goes hand in hand with legalizing marijuana. The sin tax is something that people will willingly pay, no matter how high it gets (to a reasonable point). The average price for a pack of cigarettes runs, lets say, $5.00. Though it would be a bitch, I’d be willing to wager that most smokers would be just as willing to pay $6.00 for that pack of cancer sticks. Why? Because they are made to be addicting. No shit. A self-perpetuating sales revenue that is addicting to the consumer? There’s more money to be made here people! And as much as it pains me to think of paying upwards of $10 for a simple shot of vodka, honestly, if it were $12, and I was in need of a drink (like right now), would I really hesitate to pull the trigger? I think not. And neither would you. Tax it up baby!
- How many times have you been on the freeway, only to see some giant shadow start creeping up on you? For a split second, you think a plane is about to crash into you. Then you look into your rear-view and realize it’s just a dumb-ass Hummer. Tax the fuck out of vehicles that emit certain levels of emissions. A vehicle registration fee should be increased for those vehicles that stand to pollute our air more than others. If you have the gall to drive around in something as horrendously gaudy as a Hummer, then you ought to be willing to pay the price for looking so stupid. Further, motorcycles also emit much more pollution than an automobile. With the increasing popularity of crotch-rockets, fees ought to be increased there as well, since the overall value of a bike is still a good deal. Risk-takers will be just as willing to pay a bit more for the opportunity to face plant at 80 mph.
- NEVER TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM EDUCATION. EVER. As stated in part 1, California’s education system is in shambles. Our future as a state is jeopardized by stripping funds from our children’s education. Instead, we need to close down some prisons and eliminate marijuana related offenses. Ideally, the legalization of marijuana will take care of much of our prison over-population problem. And once that is taken care of, the billions of dollars needed to keep these places running can be put to better use. But in a world that makes as little sense as ours does, perhaps we can just issue citations for being caught with pot. They pay the price of “breaking the law”, the state gets some much needed revenue. If you get caught with an ounce of pot and the penalty is a steep fine, you will go to greater lengths to not get caught again. The state gets the hefty fine to put into its pocket. And nobody has to be put in jail or prison, which wastes a huge amount of taxpayer money.
- This next idea is my absolute favorite. Whenever the state legislature fails to pass a budget, and the state goes without one for as long as it just did, guess who SHOULD NOT BE PAID? From the Governator down to the individual legislators, there should be a freeze in pay for these clowns. For every day that a budget is not passed, Capitol Hill shouldn’t get a dime for failing at their jobs. What exactly are we, the taxpayers, paying them for? It is their job to resolve such issues. They shouldn’t benefit for their inability to work together. Obama issues pay ceilings for corporate douche-bags. This idea is similar. And if legislators are upset at the idea, well, it’s a pity that a bitch-slap can’t reach you.
- Hollywood tax! There is a price to success. Usually it involves cameras, tabloids and the like. But for the 1% of Californians who control 90% of the wealth in the state, they should simply pay more. They can afford it. And no, I’m not referring to Hollywood specifically, but just those who make millions annually. There should be a welcome party for those who make it into the millionaire’s club, and at this party, a man in a grey suit will present you with a bill stating how much money you now owe the state as a result of your success.
Well, there you have it. Some new or not so new ideas that are designed to increase California’s revenue and get it out of its record deficit. And this concludes TLL’s special three part series on California’s economic crisis. We hope you enjoyed the series, and would like to know what other ideas you readers have on this topic, general thoughts on the posts, and anything else you feel like telling us. Until next time, stay safe out there.
-TLL
